Dark Skies Ahead
by jayfeather12345
Summary: Set six moons after 'The Last Hope', four kits of warriors who fought is the battle against the Dark Forest have yet to discover the secrets their parents are hiding. When assigned a mission by StarClan, they set out ignorant of the truth of thir parent's past, and may end up destroying the fifth Clan instead of saving it.
1. Prologue

This fanfic begins six moons after The Last Hope. I have recently re-written Chapter One.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Warriors, I wouldn't be writing this,would I?

* * *

**Prologue**

There was no sound to be heard around the pool that night. One after another, cats slipped silently out of the shadows, gathering at the edge of the pool. The water was still as one cat with blue-tinged fur spoke up in a rasping voice.

"Six moons have come and gone since the Great Battle against the DarkForest warriors – six moons full of peace and prosperity." Her eyes shone in the half light, reflecting the moon which shone down through the trees.

"You speak like that peace is coming to an end, Bluestar," another cat, this time with black and white fur and along tail spoke up.

"I have seen," Bluestar reported, her voice echoing with old memories. "A time will come when old friends must be re-visited and only by inviting new blood into the Clans will they survive." She twitched her tail, accidentally flicking a leaf onto the surface of the pool, making the water ripple. She then curled her tail firmly around her paws.

"I have seen this too," a pretty white cat with black spotted fur spoke up.

"Brambleberry," Bluestar dipped her head to acknowledge the medicine's cat support. "You see, I have not-" the old ThunderClan leader began to address all of the gathered cats, but Brambleberry cut her off:

"As Cinder and Heather merges,

Sky and Forest draw apart;

To save this tragic destiny,

The quest must be sent.

Along with the Lion and the Breeze,

The DawnStarling and the MossyRush must join,

United or not against the urge for action,

Evil will prevail."

As she recited this, Brambleberry's fur stood on end, as if the very words that came out of her mouth were spiking her and her claws gripped the earth beneath her paws. Once she had finished, she relaxed, sheathing her claws.

"It cannot be undone, the prophecy has been sent," a mangy, flat-faced grey cat with matted fur stated in a rough voice.

"No, Yellowfang – the Clans have already endured so much. Is it really fair to burden them further?" a voice full of sadness said from somewhere in the middle of the gathered cats. All the cats parted in one smooth movement, like wind flattening grass, to reveal a flame-pelted cat with bright green eyes.

"Firestar, if I could prevent this…" Bluestar spoke gently to her old apprentice, her eyes glowing with sympathy. She understood better than most the troubles he faced.

"You have endured much for one cat," Brambleberry mewed. "Now it is time to let your burden rest with another cat."

"I gave up everything to save the Clan I love," Firestar's voice was broken, weighed down with grief. "Spottedleaf died _twice_ for the Clan – for me."

There was a sudden disturbance from the back of the crowd as a large, sturdily built creature with a black and white striped face lumbered forwards.

"Fear no more, Firestar," rumbled the badger. Silvery orbs shone like the moon from the badgers face. "Forest Clans in no danger. SkyClan in much trouble – needs friends."

"Midnight," the black and white cat with the long tail greeted the badger. "This is welcome news. After the war, the Clans deserve a rest."

"No, Tallstar," Midnight shook her great head. "DarkForest is beaten, but there are other dangers ever present. If one Clan in trouble, so is every Clan." Looking up at the slowly sinking moon, she sighed a deep breath. "I must go – is nearly morning."

Tallstar gazed around at his fellow warriors. "What Midnight says is true. We must help the fifth Clan."

"What do you propose we do?" Firestar asked his old friend, his gaze clouded.

"We must send Brambleberry's prophecy to each Clan. Then it is up to them." It was Bluestar who replied.

Firestar stepped forward. "But – can't we give them more help than that?" He stirred the leaves on the ground with his tail as every cat watched him. With his flame coloured fur, he stood out even in the darkness.

"I think you already know the answer to that," Bluestar replied softly as Midnight disappeared completely from sight, swallowed up by the gloom.


	2. StarClan's Message

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Warriors, Dovewing would be with Tigerheart.

I have re-written this chapter, so I hope it's okay.

* * *

**Chapter One**

**~ StarClan's Message ~**

**ShadowClan**

Shadepaw stalked angrily back to ShadowClan's territory, trying to ignore the rest of the Clanmates as they crowded around her. Blackstar was leading them back to camp after the gathering and they were all travelling in a large huddle.

"Watch out, Shadepaw!" Dawnpelt snapped at her daughter as Shadepaw accidentally canoed into her when trying to avoid bumping into Ratscar.

Shadepaw flinched. "Sorry," she apologized bitterly. Dawnpelt was always clawing her for some reason or other. "If Blackstar didn't make us travel in such a tight-knit group it wouldn't have happened," she added. _Great StarClan, I hate Gatherings! _Shadepaw thought. _They're pointless. Why should we 'get to know' the other Clans when all we do is fight them? Pointless._

"Don't blame other warriors for your mistakes," Dawnpelt retorted. Shadepaw narrowed her eyes. Her mother sounded like a bossy, argumentative apprentice, not a respected ShadowClan warrior. Swerving to avoid a tree, Shadepaw growled. She had had enough of this madness. Even though her apprenticeship had been delayed, she was still fairly small although her fur was sleek and not kit-like anymore. She waited until Dawnpelt was cast into shadow by a large pine tree and slipped underneath her, darting out the other side quickly to avoid being trampled on.

"Shadepaw?" a voice called as she tried to sneak away from the returning gathering patrol. Shadepaw paused, scenting the air. Tigerheart's scent flooded over her and she cursed him under her breath._ He never does know when to leave matters alone._

"What?" Shadepaw asked tartly. She listened for the sound of other cats but only silence met her ears. She relaxed slightly; glad Tigerheart was the only one who had spotted her go.

"You know you're getting left behind, right?" Tigerheart's face appeared out of the gloom.

"So? What does it matter to you?" Shadepaw knew she was being rude but StarClan knew she had already had a bad day as it was; all she wanted was to be left alone.

"I'm your mentor: if you're too tired to train tomorrow because you stayed out later that the rest of the gathering patrol then I'll be bored stiff lying around camp doing nothing." Shadepaw sat down as he joined her, but she refused to look at him, willing him to leave her. "Besides, you're my littermate's kit as well as my apprentice. Dawnpelt would kill me if anything happened to you."

"Really? Because that's not how Dawnpelt acts towards me!" Shadepaw hissed, unsheathing her claws to grip the peaty soil. She hardly noticed the potent smell of pine as she glared at her mentor.

"You think Dawnpelt doesn't care for you?" Tigerheart asked, not even trying to disguise the shock in his voice.

Shadepaw shook her head. "I _know _she doesn't care for me. All she cares about is her stupid son Flamepaw. He's so _brilliant_ at training – shines at _absolutely_ _everything_ he does. He's just so _handsome_, isn't he – _beloved_ by the _whole_ Clan," she sneered, letting hatred fill her voice as she spoke of her brother.

"Shadepaw, there's something you have to understand," Tigerheart meowed. He hadn't blinked throughout her outburst, and this confused her enough to listen to the words he was saying.

"You may have heard – Dawnpelt and I had another littermate, Flametail. He was Littlecloud's apprentice. He... he fell through a crack in the ice one leafbare and drowned. His death hit the whole clan hard, especially as Littlecloud was – and is – extremely frail. But it tore Dawnpelt apart. Me, too, but I dealt with the grief. She didn't. She was mad with grief and wanted to blame anyone – she even got Jayfeather, ThunderClan's medicine cat, suspended from his medicine duties. But it wasn't enough for her, it didn't bring him back. Gradually the Clan moved on, but not Dawnpelt. Oh, she fooled everyone into thinking she was over his death, and even took a mate to prove it. But inside she's still as miserable as ever. I know what she feels like, but as I told you, I've moved on. I think it's harder for her because I had something else to help me focus on staying sane and she didn't. She named your brother after our brother, you know. He looks exactly like Flametail." All through this explanation, Shadepaw sat as still as stone. Tigerheart's gaze darkened as he continued, "This gathering has brought it all back to her, just when I think she really was starting to recover. She can't bear the thought than Jayfeather's brother, Lionblaze, named one of his kits after her dead brother, whom she still disillusions herself into thinking Jayfeather murdered."

"I-I didn't know," Shadepaw mewed in a small voice, suddenly feeling cold to her bones although there was no wind.

"Evidently," Tigerheart commented, sounding wiser than usual. "Now, shall we go back to camp before we freeze to death?" Shadepaw just dipped her head and followed the tabby tom back to camp. As she trailed after him lost in thought, she stumbled over brambles and pricked her pads on sharp needles without noticing. Suddenly, her own troubles didn't seem as important any more.

* * *

Shadepaw opened her eyes, taking in the roof of the apprentice den with relief. She had had a nightmare last night and was grateful to rejoin the world of the living.

"Hey, little sis, what happened to you last night?" her annoying brother broke into her thoughts. Rolling over on her back, Shadepaw glowered at the flame-coloured tom as his blue eyes stared back at her in amusement. "Your bedding is everywhere – did you have a bad dream that RiverClan is going to come and chase you away?" he teased lightly.

"Shut up," Shadepaw growled as her eyes adjusted to the sunlight pouting into the den. She pinpointed his twitching tail. If he wasn't careful, he would soon find himself with a tip-less tail. Getting heavily to her paws, she stretched.

"Flamepaw, Flamepaw, Ratscar says you can come hunting with us!" squealed Silverpaw, bursting into den in a blaze of excitement. Her slivery fur shone like it had just been washed and her eyes glowed. Shadepaw scowled. Everyone knew she had a crush on Flamepaw except him. Honestly, sometimes Shadepaw wondered about her brother. How could he be (and she found this very hard to admit) such a good hunter and fighter, and yet so naïve and dense when dealing with she-cats? He thought Silverpaw was just friends with him.

Silverpaw shot Shadepaw a glare before turning back to Flamepaw. While all the female apprentices loved Flamepaw, they apparently hated his sister. According to them, she was a bad influence on him. Shadepaw snorted and pushed her way out of the den, not wishing to stay in there with Silverpaw longer than necessary. Like she could ever influence her 'older brother' as he liked to call himself.

Looking around the sunlit clearing, Shadepaw's mood was improved when she noticed the log where apprentices liked to sharpen their claws was free. She padded over to it and raked her claws down it.

"Ah, that felt good," she murmured to herself as the sun warmed her fur.

"You know, you look even prettier with the sunlight shining on your fur," a voice behind Shadepaw said. She spun around, bristling, to see Dashpaw. He was her brother's best friend and took great pleasure in teasing her, like Flamepaw did.

"Aww, thanks, I don't know what to say," Shadepaw simpered, her mew laced with sarcasm. She knew he was only teasing her because there was an amusing glint in his eye and she also knew she wasn't pretty. When the sun glanced off her cream-and-white coloured fur, it made her look stupid and ugly. Every little piece of dirt showed up on her pale pelt. Even her eyes were a dirty kind of blue instead of the clear, bright blue that her brother had.

Dashpaw was a mottled brown tom with green eyes. He was hardly ever serious, which was why Shadepaw found it funny that his mentor was Blackstar. Of course, leaders only usually mentored the kits of their deputies, but Dashpaw was the kit of Russetfur's (the old ShadowClan deputy whom Blackstar had been very close to) younger brother, who had died shortly after his mate, Snowbird, gave birth.

"Say, 'you look extremely handsome too,'" Dashpaw prompted her.

Shadepaw just flicked an ear, and began walking towards the fresh-kill pile. "Not likely," she snorted.

"Well if you behave like that to every tom you meet, how do you think you're ever going to get a mate? I'm trying to help you here," Dashpaw meowed, his long legs keeping pace with her shorter legs easily.

Shadepaw was considering making a run for it when a distraction in the form of Tigerheart arrived.

"Dashpaw, Blackstar's waiting for you by the marsh – apparently he was expecting you at sunrise. I'd go quickly if I were you," Tigerheart informed the young apprentice.

"Fox dung!" Dashpaw hissed, alarm flaring in his normally casual gaze. He sprinted past Tigerheart and out of the camp, presumably to go and find his mentor.

"Thanks Tigerheart," Shadepaw sighed, sitting down and curling her tail around her paws.

"Hey, don't get comfortable! We still have training to do, remember," Tigerheart told her, sniffing the fresh-kill pile and deciding on a shrew. "By the way, did I hear correctly when Dashpaw said he was training you up to be the perfect little she-cat so you can attract a mate? Because I don't think it's working – yeowch!" he winced as Shadepaw nipped his tail.

"No you did not! I-am-not-and-never-will-be-looking-for-a-mate!" Shadepaw exclaimed. _I already have enough problems in that department_, she added privately to herself, twitching her tail as memories from the previous gathering flowed back into her mind.

Just then, Flamepaw and Silverpaw trotted past, followed by Ratscar and Flamepaw's mentor, Olivenose. Silverpaw purposely kicked dirt over Shadepaw as she passed, and then looked back over her shoulder with a sickly sweet smile. "Oh, I'm sorry," she gushed before Ratscar nudged her through the camp entrance.

Shadepaw stared after her in rage, and Tigerheart started munching loudly on his shrew. She whipped round to glare at him.

"What?" Tigerheart asked, returning her glare innocently. "Oh, and by the way, if you bite me again I will be forced to assign you to clearing out the elders den for a quarter moon," he added pleasantly.

Before Shadepaw could give him her trademark scowl, she heard her mother's voice across the clearing.

"Why does she have to be so difficult?" Dawnpelt was saying to Starlingwing, unaware that her daughter was staring at her. _No prizes for guessing who Dawnpelt is talking about_, Shadepaw thought bitterly. Looking up suddenly, she looked at Shadepaw and her gaze hardened. Starlingwing also looked up, and after glancing once at his mate he got up and padded up to his daughter.

"Shadepaw," he began awkwardly, "Your mother doesn't mean it, she's just-"

"Going through a hard time, I know," Shadepaw finished for her father. She sprang up and stalked over to the camp entrance where she turned to see Starlingwing and Tigerheart staring after her. "Well? I thought we had training to do, Tigerheart," she meowed, keeping her voice level with difficulty. Then she turned and disappeared into the pine forest. Sometimes, she thought everyone hated her, even her own Clanmates.

* * *

"Shadepaw, wait!"

Shadepaw froze. Expecting to see Tigerheart, she spun around with an angry hiss only to see Littlecloud stumbling after her, tripping over the stones and pine needles that littered the forest floor. He looked extremely old and frail and his eyes were dim with age.

"Oh. I'm sorry Littlecloud, I thought you were Tigerheart," she meowed awkwardly, looking at her paws.

"To be mistaken for one as young and strong as Tigerheart is a compliment, not an offence," the old medicine cat assured her.

Shadepaw sat down as she waited for him to reach her. "Umm, okay," she muttered. She knew him better than most cats her age, having spent about two moons in the medicine den just before her apprenticeship, and knew that it must be important if he had come all the way into the forest after her.

"I saw what happened," Littlecloud wheezed upon reaching the small apprentice. Shadepaw flicked her tail in reply. "Dawnpelt does love you, she..." the old medicine cat broke off, coughing.

"Littlecloud, I'm not blind. Don't try to tell me she loves me when clearly she doesn't," Shadepaw said quietly.

Littlecloud shook his head. "She does, deep in her heart-"

"Must be very deep," Shadepaw muttered.

"Shadepaw, I had a message from StarClan." The old medicine cat was gazing at her calmly. Shadepaw felt her fur prick.

"A message?" she asked.

A strange glow of ethereal light made Littlecloud's eyes gleam mysteriously and his voice became deep and echoic.

**"As Cinder and Heather merges,**

**Sky and Forest draw apart;**

**To save this tragic destiny,**

**The quest must be sent.**

**Along with the Lion and the Breeze,**

**The DawnStarling and the MossyRush must join,**

**United or not against the urge for action,**

**Evil will prevail."**

Shadepaw stared, her fur standing on end at the medicine cat's prophecy. "I... I don't understand."

Littlecloud seemed to shrink before her eyes as the light faded and his voice returned to normal. "It means StarClan has issued a quest, and you are one of StarClan's chosen," he rasped, coughing again.

"You want me to go on a quest?" Shadepaw's eyes gleamed suddenly in anticipation.

"Not me, StarClan. But yes, you must go on a quest."

"Where? Who with?" Shadepaw asked eagerly. Finally, something she could do without her brother!

"With cats from the other three Clans."

* * *

**ThunderClan**

"Hey, no fair!" Fernpaw's squeal pierced the air, making several nearby warriors wince. For such a young apprentice, she had an extremely loud, high pitched voice.

"Sometimes I wish she was more like her namesake. Ferncloud was such a gentle queen," Spiderleg muttered as he lay outside the warriors den, basking in the sun.

"Ha! I knew you couldn't catch me!" Flamepaw, her brother, meowed triumphantly as he bounded half way up the high ledge.

"Hmph. You two are such kits," Hollypaw, their third littermate told them haughtily as she delicately stretched her neck to take a juicy mouse from the top of the fresh kill pile. Flamepaw grinned wickedly and leaped across the clearing, bowling into her.

"Mmphhh!" Hollypaw choked, spitting the prey out. "Geroff!" she scrabbled at the flame coloured tom's belly, trying to push him away. Just as Flamepaw rolled off her, Fernpaw jumped on top of them both so they ended up as a pile of black, grey and orange pelts.

"What's going on out here?" the familiar grouchy mew of the ThunderClan medicine cat sounded above the three apprentices, scaring them witless.

"Ahhhh! Badger! Hide!" Flamepaw jumped up in shock and the three scattered all over the clearing.

"Lionblaze, I wish you'd teach your kits some manners," Jayfeather complained to his brother who had just come into camp with a patrol.

They're not doing any harm, just having fun," Lionblaze replied amiably.

Jayfeather bared his teeth. "Well, I want a word with them."

"Jayfeather..." Lionblaze began but the gray tom refused to listen.

"Now," was all he said, stalking off towards the forest.

"Dad, he's scary," Fernpaw crept out of the apprentice den and pattered up to Lionblaze followed by her littermates.

"You had all better follow him, or he'll be moody for the rest of the day," Lionblaze sighed.

* * *

Jayfeather sat down in the forest and waited for Lionblaze and Cinderheart's kits to join him. He didn't have to wait long before he heard them crashing through the forest.

"Could it have taken you three any longer to get here?" he snapped at them, hearing them shuffle their paws apologetically.

"I know you three have only just become apprentices, but you still act like two moon old kits, with little respect for your Clanmates. Your mentors can't get you to listen to them, all you want to do is mess about. Even you, Hollypaw. You pay attention when you're having a one on one session with your mentor but as soon as Flamepaw or Fernpaw appear, you become as irresponsible as them." Jayfeather paused for a breath and heard whispering. "Are you listening to me?" he growled at them menacingly.

"Y-yes," they all chirped at him.

"I received a message from StarClan a few nights ago, and-"

"Oooh, StarClan, have they come to tell us off for being naughty?" Flamepaw asked mockingly.

Jayfeather filled his blind glare with furious anger and he stared hard at each of them in turn. Stepping closer to the three, he made sure to loom over them.

"Never make fun of your warrior ancestors," he hissed. The irony of what he was saying was not lost on him; he had once held little respect for them as well. "They told me a prophecy which involves you and a few other cats from other Clans. If you chose not to listen to them then the clans will perish. Understand?" he spat at them.

The apprentices gulped and Jayfeather took a deep breath, satisfied he had scared them sufficiently.

"Now listen carefully..."

* * *

**WindClan **

"Why are we even here?" a black pelted apprentice grumbled to himself.

"Because I have an important message for you," Kestrelwing, WindClan's medicine cat, retorted.

They were inside the medicine den where no cat could overhear them. Just then, a third cat, a female, padded in.

"You asked for me, Kestrelwing?" she asked politely, her heather-coloured eyes glowing softly in the gloom.

"Ah, Swiftpaw. I have called you and your brother here because I have an important message for you."

"Better be important, my mentor was about to take me rabbit hunting," Darkpaw muttered.

"Shh," Swiftpaw nudged her brother.

"StarClan sent me a dream..."

* * *

**RiverClan**

"So if I don't go, then all the Clans will suffer?" Stonepaw repeated, his eyes darkening as he stared at the RiverClan medicine cat, Willowshine.

The pretty silver she-cat dipped her head, her gaze troubled. "StarClan have given prophecy's before and all have proved accurate. I would not have told you if it were not important, I know you are close to finishing your training," she mewed softly.

Stonepaw blinked, stepping forward to briefly touch his dark grey muzzle to Willowshine's cheek before pulling away. "It will be all right, I'll go on the journey with the other cats and hopefully we can save the Clans." His voice held no hint of boasting and he spoke with a voice wise beyond his years.

"Just... please, be careful," Willowshine begged. "You're a promising apprentice, RiverClan needs you." As she gazed at him, she felt her heart twist.

"I will, I promise," Stonepaw glanced up at the sun. In less than a moon he would have his warrior ceremony... if he didn't leave the Clan to go on the quest. But he couldn't ignore StarClan's summons. "Goodbye, Willowshine. Please tell Mossystream and Rushlake that I love them." He caught his breath for a moment. He had no littermates but would miss his parents. With one last look at Willowshine, he padded away to do StarClan's bidding and find the other cats.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I hope you enjoyed this, but even if you didn't, please REVIEW!


	3. Never Underestimate a She-Cat

**Disclaimer: **I may own Shadepaw and the other OC's along with the plot butWarriors will never be mine (that is, it won't be mine until I become part of the official Erin Hunter author team)

I hope you enjoy this chapter and I apologize if there are spelling/grammar mistakes; it's half past eleven and I should be asleep but the two reviews for the last chapter motivated me to update today.

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**Chapter Two**

**~ Never Underestimate a She-Cat~**

Shadepaw's whole body was tense and on high alert as she crossed the border into RiverClan territory. According to Littlecloud, StarClan wanted her to head towards the island used for gatherings, which was where she would meet the other cats in the prophecy. Keeping close to the ground, she crept along the lake shore like a pale shadow, silent as the night itself. That was, until…

"Oww! Why are there so many reeds in RiverClan territory?" Flamepaw cursed from behind her. She turned to see him hopping madly on three paws, the other paw dangling close to his side.

"Shut up before some cat hears you!" Shadepaw hissed. It was night time, but that didn't mean RiverClan didn't send out night patrols like she knew Blackstar did.

"Well you'd make a fuss if you cut your paw on a reed as well," her brother retorted. "This is stupid, anyway. I don't see why Blackstar can't know about this," he grumbled.

Shadepaw sighed and turned to face her brother. He was now licking his paw vigorously. She hadn't wanted to bring him; she had been looking forward to spending some time without him, actually, but Littlecloud insisted it was what StarClan wanted. So there they were, trying to make their way to the gathering island under the cover of darkness remaining undetected. _So much for that plan_, Shadepaw thought when she heard rapidly approaching paw steps. "Because Blackstar wouldn't let us go. We're only apprentices for StarClan's sake, now hush. I can hear cats coming towards us," Shadepaw whispered, lowering herself until she was lying on the ground with her legs bunched under her, ready to run if she needed to.

"Who's there?" the voice of an unfamiliar tom cat, RiverClan by the scent, spoke harshly. After a heartbeat of silence, the tom spoke again. "I know there's some cat there… ShadowClan, if I'm not mistaken, and only one or maybe two of you. Either reveal yourself now or I _will _attack."

Shadepaw glanced over at her brother whom she could see through darkness-adjusted eyes. He shook his head at her, still sucking his paw. Shadepaw narrowed her eyes at him before, not moving, she spoke up:

"You're right, there are two of us. And there's only one of you, so it is you who should fear attack," she meowed in her best warrior voice, hoping the RiverClan cat couldn't tell she was only an apprentice.

"I suppose, but I never have considered she-cats the equal of toms, especially in battle," was the RiverClan tom's reply.

"What?!" Shadepaw hissed. "Take that back!" she warned, unsheathing her claws, anger glinting in her steely eyes.

"Make me," came the insolent reply.

"Oh, I will," Shadepaw promised, preparing to spring.

Before she could attack however, Shadepaw felt Flamepaw's hot breath on her ear. "Don't do it, he's only goading you to show yourself," he hissed in a low whisper.

Shadepaw gave her brother a look through narrowed eyes. "I'm no coward. Go to the Dark Forest if you don't like it," she hissed back before springing forward in the direction of the RiverClan tom's voice, making sure to kick Flamepaw in the process.

Shadepaw landed on top of something soft and slimy. "Eww, gross," she muttered .

"Going to insult me rather than fight me?" the RiverClan tom taunted from somewhere… underneath her?

"Mousedung!" Shadepaw cursed, realising she had landed_ on_ the RiverClan tom. Just then he flipped over and she slid off his slimy pelt with as easily as if he had just bathed in oil. Not giving up, Shadepaw slashed an unsheathed paw at his exposed belly fur, but her claws didn't even pierce his skin. "Stupid RiverClan tom with his oily pelt and fishy breath," she growled as he stood up and jumped on her. The two rolled over, both fighting for the upper paw.

"No cat ever won a battle with insults alone," the tom panted. "When are you going to start fighting properly?"

"Right about…now!" Shadepaw dug her back paws into the mud, making sure her forepaws were spread either side of her opponent's shoulders, trapping him underneath her against the ground.

"You're an apprentice!" the RiverClan tom exclaimed, seeing her for the first time.

"And the RiverClan tom wins the mouse for stating the obvious," Shadepaw teased, enjoying having the upper paw. "Now, when are you going to start fighting properly I wonder?" she grinned down at him.

"Oh, I don't know," he pretended to think. "How about… right now?" and with that he bunched up his hind legs against Shadepaw's stomach and pushed her away with a strength she hadn't been expecting. Shadepaw lay on the ground, winded, as he loomed over her.

"Had enough?" he enquired. "It just goes to show that I was right, she-cats are useless, especially in battle," h meowed nonchalantly.

"Never," Shadepaw gasped. She had never been in a battle before and had only just began her training because of her delayed apprenticeship and really had no idea how to recover from being winded and get back into the battle. She was saved when Flamepaw revealed himself.

"She's a new apprentice, only just begun her training. Why not fight someone your own size who's closer to your own skill?" Flamepaw challenged the RiverClan tom.

"Hey! I could fight both of you together and win. I haven't given up yet," Shadepaw staggered to her paws, but neither tom listened to her.

"I know you," the RiverClan tom said suddenly, peering at Flamepaw through the darkness. His eyes weren't as adjusted as the ShadowClan cats eyes were, but he could make out the orange tinge of Flamepaw's fur. "You're the kits of Dawnpelt and Starlingwing, right?"

"Yeah?" Flamepaw answered warily.

"Will you two stop ignoring me!" Shadepaw growled, taking up what she thought to be a fighting stance with her four paws spread wide.

"What are you doing on my territory? Trying to get to the gathering island?" the RiverClan tom asked, not taking any notice of Shadepaw with his gaze fixed unwaveringly on Flamepaw. Shadepaw felt anger boiling in her blood and flexed her claws.

"What's it to you?" Flamepaw shot back.

"Apart from the fact that you're trespassing and I have every right to challenge you? I 'm also on my way there," the RiverClan tom replied, the hostility gone from his voice.

"You mean… you're the cat from RiverClan who…" Flamepaw slowly began to connect the pieces.

"That's it, if you don't stop ignoring me then I'm warning you both, I won't hold back," Shadepaw promised darkly, still to no avail.

"Who got picked by StarClan in a prophecy, yes," the RiverClan tom nodded, relaxing his body.

_Right, I've warned you, so expect no mercy_, Shadepaw thought to herself, dropping into a crouch.

"Great! Do you know what's going on then? What's your name?" Flamepaw also relaxed, his voice now much more friendly.

_The mousebrain, it could be a trap_. Shadepaw slowly crept up behind the RiverClan tom.

"I'm Stonepaw, what about you? Sorry, I don't know any more than you di I'm afraid. Why are there two of you?" the RiverClan tom replied.

"Stone_paw_?" Flamepaw echoed.

"Yeah, in less than a moon I'm supposed to finish my training," the apprentice that looked much more like a warrior replied.

"Oh. Well, I'm Flamepaw, two moons into training, and that mousebrained furball who attacked you is my sister. I don't know why we were both chosen, but Littlecloud said StarClan intended for us both to go. My sister's also eight moons old like me but she only just started her training a few sunrises ago due to an accident that delayed her apprenticeship. She's called-" Flamepaw began but before he could say her name, Shadepaw jumped forward, boxing Stonepaw over the head with unsheathed claws and then doing the same to her brother faster than either tom thought she was capable of.

"Owww…" they both moaned simultaneously.

Shadepaw sat down and curled her tail around her paws neatly. "That'll teach you to ignore me," she told them pleasantly. "Now, haven't we got an island to find?"

Stonepaw blinked. "For a new apprentice, your sister can pack one Dark forest of a blow," he told Flamepaw with a groan.

"And don't talk about me as if I'm not here, or there's more where that came from," Shadepaw informed Stonepaw, trotting away. The two toms hastened to catch up.

"And, Flamepaw?" Shadepaw asked her brother sweetly.

"Yeah?" he grumbled, annoyed with her for hitting him.

"Never tell another cat anything about me without my permission," Shadepaw said. To Stonepaw, she added, "Still think she-cat's aren't as good as toms?"

Stonepaw looked at her as he padded along side, his eyes glowing with amusement. "Nah. I only said that to make you angry so you would show yourself, I never believed it for a moment," he admitted.

"Why, you… come here!" Shadepaw growled in mock anger, chasing after him as her raced away, leaving Flamepaw to try and catch them up.

* * *

When they finally reached the tree bridge, Shadepaw bounded across lightly and gracefully, even though she had only crossed it once before. Stonepaw followed her confidently and they both sat down, panting from their run, to wait for Flamepaw.

"You know, you're not half bad for a ShadowClan cat," Stonepaw said into the peaceful silence.

"Thanks," Shadepaw blinked in surprise.

After a moment, Stonepaw poked Shadepaw in the ribs with his paw. "You're supposed to say, 'you're not so bad yourself," he told her in a light, joking tone.

Shadepaw rolled her eyes, but she didn't get angry like she did when Dashpaw tried to teach her 'manners'. "That line is just so cliché. I prefer to use my own lines, not take lines that belong to other cats which are used way too much," she replied, poking Stonepaw back. "But, I guess that even for a RiverClan cat…" she trailed off.

"Yes?" Stonepaw pressed.

"Even for a RiverClan cat, your pelt is extremely oily and your breath stinking so strongly of fish it could knock out a badger and mask its scent at the same time," she finished with a cheeky grin.

Stonepaw laughed, nudging her slightly harder with his nose so that she almost lost her balance. "You never stop insulting cats, do you? I see what you mean about not wanting to use lines that are said so often, but seriously, they're also good manners. Did your parents never teach you anything about etiquette, or are all ShadowClan cats as rude as you?"

Shadepaw hesitated at the mention of her parents. Swallowing, she bent her head and pushed against Stonepaw with all her might, making him topple, only saving himself from hitting the ground with his fast reflexes. "My parents never really cared about teaching me manners," she said in as nonchalant a tone as she could manage. Stonepaw gave her a studious look, but didn't press the issue as she carried on, "my brother's best friend, Dashpaw, frequently tries to improve my manners though," she said with a slight hint of laughter in her voice at the memories. "I always tell him to stuff it."

"To be honest, I'm not surprised," Stonepaw told her, staring down at her with mischief twinkling in his green eyes. For a moment he paused, appearing to gauge how far he could push her without upsetting her, before adding, "It shows that you were brought up like a rogue, with your attitude." Stonepaw then shoved her with all his strength, which sent the smaller apprentice sprawling on the ground.

As she lay on the ground, she thought about how her initial reaction to Stonepaw's comment about her parents would have been to snarl at him but as she got back onto her paws she realised that she didn't mind so much when he said it.

Instead of gracing him with an answer, Shadepaw bunched her pawn beneath her, waggled her tail, and ran at Stonepaw, shoving him hard so that he lost his balance and fell, landing amid the sand on the shore.

"Oh, you asked for this," Stonepaw warned her with amusement colouring his otherwise serious tone. Not giving Shadepaw time to reply, he jumped to his paws and slammed into her. But she was ready and as soon as he made contact, she tangled his paws with hers, bringing him down with her.

They began wrestling in the sand but Stonepaw, being stronger, ended up on top. Shadepaw, remembering her opponent's earlier trick when she had him pinned down, pummelled the older apprentice's belly with her hind legs. It didn't send him flying off her but she managed to wind him slightly, enabling her to slip out from under his grip.

Before they could continue wrestling however, Shadepaw spotted a flash of ginger illuminated by the moon out of the corner of her eye.

"Look Stonepaw, my brother has finally reached the tree bridge," Shadepaw commented, sitting down to watch him.

"So he has," Stonepaw joined her. "By the way, you never told me your name. I promise not to tell it to anyone else without asking you permission first," he added with a smirk.

Shadepaw rolled her eyes and poked him. "My name's Shadepaw," she meowed.

Meanwhile, Flamepaw seemed to be having trouble crossing the tree bridge. A strong wind had picked up and the tree seemed to be swaying slightly.

"Oh, no," Shadepaw groaned, knowing he was going to fall off.

"Are you worried about him?" Stonepaw asked her.

Shadepaw uttered a laugh. "Worried? More like embarrassed. My first time and I cross it easily – it's not that hard, really – but his _third_ time and he's going to fall off," Shadepaw sighed. Stonepaw gave her a strange look.

"He might not fall off," the tom pointed out.

A few seconds later… *plop* Flamepaw lost his balance and fell like a stone into the dark water beneath him. Shadepaw groaned again.

"Told you," she said, looking at Stonepaw.

Stonepaw's eyes were fixed on the place where Flamepaw had disappeared. "Can he swim?"

"Oh StarClan, I didn't think of that," Shadepaw muttered and nudged Stonepaw. "You'd better go rescue him."

"Me?" Stonepaw asked her.

"I can't swim, and we can't let one of StarClan's chosen drown before he's completed the quest," Shadepaw answered. The sarcasm in her voice was obvious and she nudged Stonepaw again, harder this time. "Go on," she urged.

Stonepaw flicked her ear with his tail and then bounded into the water leaving the ShadowClan apprentice sitting on the shore.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I'm aware that in this chapter I used a couple of words that Warriors wouldn't usually say but I couldn't think of any 'warrior cat' language to replace them with.

Please review!


	4. A Secret Uncovered

**Disclaimer:** I own the apprentices and the plot but none of the original characters or anything else.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**~ A Secret Uncovered ~**

**WindClan**

"Phew, I thought we'd never get away," Darkpaw puffed as he and Swiftpaw mounted the hill that lead away from the WindClan camp. Darkness had fallen but the apprentices had been allowed out of camp on the condition that they stuck together and didn't stray far from camp.

"Yeah, I thought Tornear would make us check his pelt for fleas for the rest of our apprenticeship," Swiftpaw agreed. "At least now we can talk without being overheard, about that prophecy Kestrelwing told us about."

"Meh, it's probably all rubbish. Let's hunt first. We could head towards the ThunderClan border," Darkpaw suggested, bumping into his sister as she halted suddenly. "Hey, watch where you're going!"

"I can smell something… ThunderClan!" Swiftpaw told him after scenting the air.

"Wh-what?" Darkpaw yelped, surprised, but he too could catch a faint whiff on the rival Clan on the breeze. "It probably just drifted over the border. There is rather a strong breeze tonight," he pointed out, shivering to emphasize his point.

Swiftpaw took no notice, bounding off in the direction of the scent. "Are you coming or not? They could be enemy warriors, trying to take over our territory!" her eyes sparkled mischievously. "Or are you scared?"

"I'm not scared – it's probably just a stupid apprentice, anyway," Darkpaw ran ahead of her, and they raced each other to the source of the scent.

"Shh, I think I see something," Swiftpaw, slowed down and the pair crept forward, sneaking up to the border where two cats became visible.

"Please, just one more chance?" a dark tabby cat was meowing as the apprentices hid in a clump of heather. Excitement pricked Swiftpaw's pelt as she recognized the scent of ShadowClan. She knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, and neither cat was on WindClan territory, but the other cat was definitely ThunderClan and if they were meeting right by the WindClan border they obviously didn't want to be overheard by their own Clans (or anyone really).

"Hey, I recognise him – that's Tigerheart of ShadowClan! And isn't that Dovewing of ThunderClan?" Darkpaw hissed in his sister's ear.

She shrugged. "Shh, I want to listen."

"No Tigerheart, I already gave you a second chance and you betrayed me again. Besides, I'm carrying Bumblestripe's kits," the grey warrior mewed gently. Tigerheart's eyes flashed.

"What?!" he exclaimed and then sighed. "I did try to warn you about Dawnpelt," he reminded her, but Swiftpaw saw pain from Dovewing's news lingering in his eyes.

"Even if I wasn't with Bumblestripe, it would still be wrong in so many ways." Dovewing glanced around her with wide eyes. "We shouldn't even be meting like this. Please, just… go back to your Clan, Tigerheart. You have responsibilities as a mentor now. Shadepaw deserves your full attention, it's not fair to her if you're always thinking about me," Dovewing said.

Swiftpaw winced. That was harsh.

"I know, but I love you Dovewing. How can I not think about you all the time?" Tigerheart asked, his eyes swimming with deep emotions.

"Maybe we should go," Swiftpaw whispered to Darkpaw. "This doesn't sound like a conversation we should be listening to. It doesn't have anything to do with us."

"No way are we leaving now, after you dragged me all the way put here. I'm staying," Darkpaw replied and Swiftpaw turned back to the pair reluctantly.

"I told you once that I would join ThunderClan for you, if it made you feel better about our relationship…" Tigerheart continued, but then Swiftpaw lost concentration as she heard a rustling sound coming from bushed behind the couple. Glancing at her brother, she saw he had noticed as well, although the pair in front of them were oblivious.

Exchanging a nod each, they crept around the clearing, and crossed the border. Swiftpaw felt nervous, knowing she shouldn't be on ThunderClan territory, but Darkpaw prowled ahead with no such misgivings.

Suddenly she caught sight of a flash of fur and Darkpaw nodded at her. They pounced, muffling the cries of the cats they pinned down so Dovewing and Tigerheart wouldn't hear them.

"Gerroff!" came a familiar voice from beneath Swiftpaw.

"Flamepaw?" she asked in slight disbelief, stepping off of him. He stood up and shook himself. They had met briefly at the last gathering but her mother, Heathertail, had come along and stopped their conversation.

"Swiftpaw?" Flamepaw looked surprised.

Next to them, Darkpaw was tussling silently with Hollypaw and Fernpaw.

"What are you doing on ThunderClan territory?" Flamepaw asked her suspiciously, but without any hint of aggression.

"I'm sorry," Swiftpaw apologised, looking into his green eyes which stared at her out of the gloom. "Darkpaw and I thought we smelled ThunderClan scent…" and she told him how they had ended up there.

"Us too. At least, not the smelling ThunderClan scent part, but we followed Dovewing as she left out gathering patrol. She waited here and eventually Tigerheart showed up, which is, I'm guessing, when you also arrived," he nodded. "And, um, maybe you could let me up now?"

"Oh! Sorry," Swiftpaw stepped off him and he stood up.

A muffled hiss made the pair look sideways at their siblings. "Hey, get off them Darkpaw, they're not dangerous or anything, and we are on their territory," Swiftpaw told her brother. He sent her a murderous look, but released the two she-cats, coming to stand by his sister.

"Yah, they're not worth it anyway. It's obvious they haven't been trained," Darkpaw muttered.

"About time!" Hollypaw announced, shaking out her fur.

"Shh!" four apprentices converged on her, silencing her, but too late.

"Did you hear that?" Dovewing's voice sliced through the air as Hollypaw froze guiltily. A moment later the five apprentices found themselves face to face with Dovewing and Tigerheart, neither of them looking happy.

"What is the meaning of this?" Tigerheart hissed angrily.

Swiftpaw stared down at her paws, wishing she could disappear.

"Umm..." Hollypaw muttered, not meeting Dovewing's eyes.

"Hollypaw? Fernpaw, Lionpaw? What in the name of StarClan are you doing out of camp?" Dovewing growled at the three ThunderClan apprentices.

"Well, we..." Hollypaw tried again but Swiftpaw interrupted her.

"Why is there a ShadowClan cat on ThunderClan territory?" she asked the gray warrior, nervous to be addressing her on her own territory but knowing she was safe with her brother standing next to her. He was the best fighter out of all the WindClan apprentices.

"I could ask you the same thing, _WindClan_ apprentice," Tigerheart shot at her, his amber eyes glowing dangerously.

"We scented ThunderClan from our territory. It's our duty to investigate suspicious scents, and a ShadowClan cat so close to the WindClan border is certainly suspicious," Darkpaw cut in before Swiftpaw could reply.

"I never even crossed the border," Tigerheart retorted.

"Not our border, no," Darkpaw mewed slyly.

"Why were you meeting Tigerheart, Dovewing?" Fernpaw asked innocently. "Are you in luuuurve with two cats?"

Dovewing narrowed her eyes at the apprentice. "Fine, none of us should be here. Let's all go back to our respective Clans and forget the whole thing, agreed?" she suggested impatiently.

Everyone nodded and the two warriors left immediately, heading back towards ShadowClan leaving the apprentices by themselves.

"You're just gonna let that warrior meet with enemy warriors on your territory? Or are you going to tell your leader when you get back?" Darkpaw asked the three ThunderClan apprentices.

"Well, Dovewing told us to forget it... if we told on her then she'd tell on us and it's her they would all believe," Hollypaw said slowly.

"Mousehearts," Darkpaw sniffed.

"Take that back," Hollypaw glared at the dark furred WindClan apprentice.

"Why can't you keep your mouth closed, Darkpaw?" Swiftpaw asked her brother. "Sorry about him," she added.

"Why were you two out of camp in the first place?" asked Flamepaw curiously.

"We needed to talk about something," Swiftpaw began before she was choking on her brother's tail.

"Nothing important," Darkpaw meowed innocently.

"Oh, really?" Fernpaw whispered in his ear. Darkpaw jumped, not having seen her sneak up on him.

"Get off," he spat.

"Oooh, someone woke up on the wrong side of his nest this morning," Fernpaw teased.

Darkpaw stuck his nose in the air, not deigning to give her a reply. "Come on Swiftpaw, let's get out of here."

"Wait, I want to ask them something," Swiftpaw hesitated. She had an idea – she knew Darkpaw thought the prophecy Kestrelwing had given them was a load of mouse droppings, but she took it seriously since it involved cats from all four Clans, she decided to test these apprentices.

"You three haven't happened to meet with your medicine cat recently, or know any apprentices in your Clan who have, do you?" she asked them.

"Yeah!" Flamepaw meowed before Hollypaw nipped him lightly.

"He means we might know some apprentices who have. Why?" she asked cautiously.

Swiftpaw shrugged. "Oh, no reason. It's just... our medicine cat told us something this morning and we wondered if all the medicine cats were telling a few select apprentices this," she mewed, aware of Darkpaw watching her closely in case she gave away too much.

"You mean the prophecy?" Flamepaw asked before Hollypaw could stop him. "Yeah, Jayfeather told it to us. Did Kestrelwing tell it to you two?"

Swiftpaw nodded, biting her lip. "Do you think it really is a prophecy from StarClan?"

"Well, there's only one way to find out for sure," Hollypaw pointed out. "We go to the Gathering island and see if the RiverClan and ShadowClan cats are there. If not, then it was just a sill joke. But if they are, then... we have a journey to go on!" her eyes lit up with excitement.

"It's a plan," Swiftpaw grinned. "Let's go!"

"Hey, I never said I believed the dumb prophecy," Darkpaw protested as Swiftpaw dragged him along with the ThunderClan apprentices. "Are you listening? It's just a mousebrained pro – hey! Let go of me!"

* * *

**On the Island**

Shadepaw felt anxiety tug at her paws as she waited for Stonepaw to re-emerge with her brother. Deep down, she did care for her brother, but she always acted like he was just another apprentice to her. _Please be okay Flamepaw. I'm sorry for always snapping at you... Please StarClan, let him be okay._

A heartbeat later, two dark heads appeared in the lake and Shadepaw stood up, rushing down to the shore. "Stonepaw?" she called nervously.

She didn't get a reply, but soon the two cats were close enough for her to see both Stonepaw, the RiverClan apprentice and her brother. Stonepaw appeared to be pulling Flamepaw along by his scruff.

Finally they reached land and Shadepaw pulled her brother out of the water and laid him on the ground. His ginger fur was soaked through and he was coughing up water. Stonepaw pulled himself up beside them and shook his coat.

"Is he okay?" Shadepaw asked him, trying to keep the worry out of her voice.

"Hold his head," Stonepaw replied, not answering her question. Shadepaw swallowed and did as he asked, holding his head while Stonepaw positioned himself with his forepaws on Flamepaw's chest. Then he started pumping and as he did so, more and more water spewed out of the apprentices' mouth. After what seemed like an eternity to Shadepaw, Flamepaw took a deep, shuddering breath.

"He'll be fine," Stonepaw relaxed, unprepared when Shadepaw flew at him.

"Thank you so much Stonepaw, I don't know how I can thank you enough for saving my brother's sorry life!" she gasped, pinning him to the floor and giving him a lick on the cheek.

"Erm... I didn't really save his life..."

"Yes, you did! Don't be so modest," Shadepaw mewed in an extremely un-Shadepaw-like manner.

"No, I didn't, but if you insist on thanking me, maybe you could let me up to breath?" Stonepaw suggested.

"Oh, sorry," Shadepaw stepped away and was suddenly overwhelmed with embarrassment. "I don't know what came over me," she muttered, trotting quickly back to her brother.

"Maybe you like him," a teasing voice piped up and Shadepaw whipped around. Five young cats stood there, the last one having just jumped silently off the tree bridge. The one who had spoken was the smallest, fluffy gray she-cat.

"Say that again," Shadepaw snarled, jumping on her and boxing her ears, hard.

"Hey, owww, that hurt!" the cat squealed.

"Get off of our sister," two more cats tried to pull their sister away but Shadepaw ignored them. It was only when Stonepaw dragged her away that she stopped.

"ThunderClan mousehearts!" she hissed, glaring at them.

"ShadowClan foxheart!" they shot back.

"Whoa, calm down," Stonepaw stepped in front of Shadepaw. "You five are all apprentices from either WindClan or ThunderClan, so I'm guessing you're here because of the prophecy?"

"What do you know about that?" sneered a black pelted tom. Shadepaw scented the air. _WindClan_.

"I'm Stonepaw, the RiverClan apprentice. This furball," Stonepaw nodded at Shadepaw, "is one of the ShadowClan representatives called Shadepaw. The other ShadowClan cat is her brother, Flamepaw. He's over there on the shore." Stonepaw spoke with authority in his voice that calmed every cat down, and even Shadepaw ceased her glaring at the ThunderClan cats.

"Is he alright?" asked one of the WindClan apprentices. "Hey, I know you! You were praised by Mistystar at the last gathering for catching fifteen fish in one day, a new record for RiverClan," she realised.

Stonepaw chuckled. "Yeah, that's me. And you're Swiftpaw, right? And that's your brother Darkpaw. I think we met briefly a couple of moons ago at your second gathering?"

Swiftpaw nodded, her soft blue eyes glowing. "Yeah, I remember."

"Second gathering two moons ago? How old are you?" a flame-coloured ThunderClan apprentice asked.

"Not as old as Stonepaw! He's got to be at least fourteen, fifteen moons old!" Swiftpaw grinned. "I'm ten moons old."

"You're fifteen moons old?" Shadepaw stared at Stonepaw. "Why aren't you a warrior already?" she demanded.

"I'm fourteen moons. Why, do you wish I was a warrior so I wasn't here?" Stonepaw teased the ShadowClan apprentice.

Shadepaw shook her head.

"My warrior ceremony would have been in the next half-moon if not for the prophecy..." Stonepaw added. "Which brings us back to why we're here." His voice became more authoritive again. "You ThunderClan apprentices, I think I remember Firestar announcing your names at the last gathering. Flamepaw, Fernpaw and Hollypaw, right?"

They all nodded. "Is the other ShadowClan cat all right? Why is he just lying there? Is he dead?" Flamepaw asked Stonepaw.

"No, he's very much alive," Shadepaw spat at the ThunderClan apprentices and marched over to her brother.

Flamepaw's eyes flickered when she said his name and he tried to stand. "Shadepaw?"

"I'm here. So is every other cat in the prophecy, apparently."

"What happened?" Flamepaw asked as he followed his sister over to everyone else.

"After you fell in, Stonepaw rescued you," Shadepaw told him, silently daring the other cats to comment. None of them did.

"Stonepaw? Oh, thank you," he meowed to Stonepaw in gratitude. The RiverClan apprentice twitched an ear in response.

"Since we're here, I suggest we all set off," Stonepaw mewed.

"Who made you leader?" Darkpaw sneered. "I'm certainly not taking orders from a RiverClan cat."

"Stonepaw's the oldest, it makes sense that he leads," Shadepaw snapped at Darkpaw. She would have said that no-one wanted him to come anyway, but since he was part of the prophecy then StarClan did seem to want him to come.

"And you're going to let him order you about, are you?" Darkpaw challenged her.

Shadepaw let a sly smile grace her face. "I'm going to let him try," she replied and Stonepaw chuckled.

"Darkpaw-" Swiftpaw began.

"If you're going to tell me that it makes sense that he leads us as well..." Darkpaw interrupted her.

"No, I was going to say that Stonepaw was merely making a _suggestion_ that makes sense. If we're ever going to fulfill this prophecy then we should make a start," Swiftpaw retorted.

"But we don't know where we're going," Hollypaw pointed out and received a glare from Shadepaw. "What?" she asked the ShadowClan apprentice, not sure what she had done this time.

"You have a horrible voice. I was glaring at you because you were using it," Shadepaw mewed tartly, still upset about her earlier embarrassment in front of the three ThunderClan apprentices.

"Don't be so mean!" Flamepaw, Hollypaw's brother, stepped in front of his sister protectively.

Before an argument could break out, Shadepaw's brother stepped forward. "Hey, ThunderClan cat, you're called Flamepaw too, aren't you?"

"Yeah... oh, that could cause some problems. One of us should change our name," he answered.

"You keep your name Flamepaw, let_ him_ change _his_," Hollypaw told her brother.

"That's okay, everyone can just call me Flame without the 'paw' on the end," Flame meowed amiably to everyone's surprise. "Since we're all apprentices on this journey and none of us are going to become warriors on the journey then I don't really need the 'paw' bit anyway."

Shadepaw glared at her brother for giving in so easily. "Great, that's sorted, we can all go now," she snapped, stalking off towards the tree bridge and crossing it with ease.

For a moment there was silence before Stonepaw stood up. "You all heard her, let's go," he meowed and began leading them all (Flame crossing the bridge right in front of him so that if Flame slipped, the RiverClan apprentice would be able to catch him) over the tree bridge.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I hope you liked this chapter and didn't find it dragged on too long, but even if you hated it please review! No feedback is unwelcome!


	5. Learning to Play Nicely

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything you recognise.

I'm so so sorry for the late update, I guess life and my other fics got in the way, but here's the next chapter. Please review!

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**~ Learning to Play Nicely ~**

Fernpaw stumbled as she hurried to keep up with the others. Being the smallest apprentice meant she had to walk faster than the others so she wouldn't be left behind, and it was tiring her out. The darkness wasn't helping either, she thought as she tripped over a twig and went sprawling on the ground.

"Wait for me!" she cried when no-one noticed she was no longer with them.

"Fernpaw?" a voice called back. "Where are you?"

"Over here!" she replied thankfully, heaving a sigh of relief when Stonepaw's face loomed above her.

The RiverClan apprentice nudged her to her paws. "Are you okay?"

Fernpaw ducked her head. "Thank you, and I'm fine. I just tri-tri-tripped," she yawned.

Stonepaw chuckled. "If you say so," he smiled before calling out to the others who had already disappeared in the darkness of the night. "Hey, guys, I think we should stop for a while."

The sound of paws drawing closer was accompanied by Darkpaw's voice. "What? But we need to get as far away from the Clans as possible before morning, or they'll find us and bring us back," he argued.

"No, Stonepaw's right," Flame told him, sitting down near Fernpaw but not too close. He raised his hind leg to scratch his ear. "We need to rest or we'll be too tired to do anything tomorrow, and we can hardly see where we're going anyway."

"Speak for yourself," his sister hissed as she stalked past him. "I can see perfectly."

"Not every cat is so scared of fighting that they need to hide in the shadows to avoid being beaten up," Darkpaw retorted smugly. Instantly Shadepaw whipped round and jumped on him, pinning him to the ground before he could make a sound.

"You better apologise right now, or I'll send you to meet with StarClan," Shadepaw growled, her eyes flashing.

"Darkpaw!" Swiftpaw cried, bounding to her brother's side. "Please, let him go! He didn't mean it," she pleaded.

Shadepaw narrowed her eyes and pressed her unsheathed paw harder against Darkpaw's throat. "Apologise."

Fernpaw watched as Shadepaw's brother Flame went and said something in her ear.

"Never!" Darkpaw gurgled against Shadepaw.

Fernpaw inched nearer to them to hear Flame whisper "Oh let it go sis, he didn't mean it; he was just trying to brush your fur the wrong way. Instead of throttling him because we need him to complete the journey, why don't you make it your ambition to prove that he's wrong?"

Fernpaw had to admit to herself that Flame's words made sense.

"Because I'm fed up of being put down all the time, that's why," Shadepaw growled. She glared at her brother a moment longer before bounding away having forgotten all about Darkpaw. He stood up shakily, glaring after the ShadowClan she cat hatefully.

"Darkpaw, are you okay?" Swiftpaw was at her brother's side in an instant, also glaring after Shadepaw.

Fernpaw jumped when she heard Stonepaw speak from right next to her. She had forgotten about him. "Come on, we'll all feel better after a good night's sleep," he said.

As everyone settled down, Darkpaw grumbling to himself, Fernpaw couldn't help but wonder where Shadepaw had gone. She still hadn't returned, and judging by the looks on the faces of Darkpaw and Swiftpaw, not many cats missed her.

* * *

When Fernpaw woke the next morning, the sun was streaming through the trees. She yawned and stretched, feeling the absence of warm fur beside her. "Hollypaw?" she murmured. She was sure she had fallen asleep next to her sister last night.

"Over here sleepy head," the black ThunderClan apprentice teased. Fernpaw looked around to see her sister enjoying a mouse with their brother Flamepaw. Swiftpaw was eating a vole next to them and they all seemed to be getting on, especially Flamepaw and Swiftpaw.

Not too far away Stonepaw was trying to encourage Shadepaw to eat a fish but the grumpy ShadowClan apprentice was refusing to even nibble it.

"Hey, you guys ate without me?!" Fernpaw gasped, jumping to her paws. A purr rumbled in the back of Flamepaw's throat as he glanced at her. "What?"

"You have moss sticking to your fur," he grinned.

"Some brother you are," Fernpaw muttered, licking her chest fur. It was still fluffy like a kit's fur, making her look younger than she was.

"Oh, don't make fun of her," Swiftpaw scolded Flamepaw and trotted over to her. "Here, let me help."

"Thanks," Fernpaw smiled mischievously. "You seem to be getting on well with Flamepaw," she commented.

Swiftpaw hesitated, a bit of moss falling from her mouth to the ground. "Yes, well... he's a nice cat," she mumbled.

"You like him, don't you?" Fernpaw pressed.

Swiftpaw began working faster, picking the moss out of Fernpaw's fur with her teeth. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course not," Fernpaw grinned. "So, where are the others? Darkpaw and Flame, I mean," she asked curiously.

Swiftpaw relaxed and stepped away from the younger apprentice. "There, all the moss is out. Oh, they're still hunting."

"Thanks Swiftpaw. You're nice... for a WindClan cat," Fernpaw mewed. "Nicer than my brother, anyway," she added with a glance at Flamepaw.

"Flamepaw was just joking!" Swiftpaw defended him quickly. Too quickly. Fernpaw watched Swiftpaw look away. "I've, erm, got to go and... see you later," she muttered and bounded away.

Fernpaw smiled to herself as she watched her. Just then Darkpaw and Flame arrived back, carrying prey. She was surprised when Flame trotted over to her and dropped a mouse at her paws. "Umm, thanks?"

Flamepaw smiled at her. "Not all ShadowClan cats are as grumpy as my sister you know. Don't look so surprised."

Still slightly confused, Fernpaw nodded. "But, how did you know I was hungry?" she asked as her stomach rumbled. Flamepaw just looked at her and she giggled. "Okay, okay, but apart from that."

"Your sister told us to bring something back for you because you were still asleep when Darkpaw and I left to go hunting. I figured that Darkpaw wasn't in the mood to catch extra prey, so I thought, why not?"

"Well, thanks then," Fernpaw smiled and bit into it as Flame settled down next to her with his thrush. After a pause in the conversation, she decided to go right out and ask Flamepaw the question she was sure had been on the mind of not only her but most of the other apprentices. "What did your sister mean last night, when she said she was fed up of always being put down?"

Flame hesitated, his eyes clouding. "Well, I guess she's always been a bit... difficult."

"What do you mean?" Fernpaw asked him curiously.

"Oh, it looks like we're getting ready to go," Flame stood up suddenly and walked quickly over to the others with Fernpaw following him.

* * *

"What are we waiting for? Let's go," Darkpaw was saying as Fernpaw reached them. They were all gathered round a tree stump.

"Stonepaw and Shadepaw," Flamepaw nodded over to where the two apprentices in question appeared to be arguing about something.

"Surprise, surprise, we're waiting for Miss Grumpy," Darkpaw meowed sarcastically.

"I heard that!" Shadepaw snapped, turning towards them so suddenly that Fernpaw jumped.

Stonepaw gave her a look and then padded over to us. "Right, let's go."

"Where exactly are we going?" Hollypaw asked him.

Stonepaw frowned. "Actually, I'm not sure."

"Great," Darkpaw sighed and Swiftpaw nudged him.

Ignoring them, Shadepaw bounded ahead. "Well, are you coming or not?" she called back to them.

"Where are you going?" Flame asked her in surprise.

Shadepaw rolled her eyes. "Where StarClan told us to go, duh!"

"Which it...?" Hollypaw asked her.

Shadepaw sighed. "Honestly! Can none of you use your brains?" she scoffed.

"What are you talking about?" Flamepaw questioned her.

"It's obvious. We have to go back towards the origins of the Clans. We have to journey back to the Forest, where the Clans came from," Shadepaw meowed.

"How is that 'obvious'?" Hollypaw asked her.

Shadepaw just smirked at her. "Work it out, mousebrain."

"Hey!" Hollypaw protested as Flamepaw bounded forward.

"Hollypaw's not a mousebrain! She's the cleverest apprentice in the Clan!" he boasted.

Stonepaw stepped in between them to avoid an argument.

"Let's just trust Shadepaw on this one and get going. It's already nearly sun high," Stonepaw meowed and set off at a brisk walk towards the Twolegplace.

Fernpaw followed with the rest of the apprentices, trotting fast enough to catch up to Stonepaw and hear him whisper in Shadepaw's ear.

"You had a dream, didn't you?"

Fernpaw observed the quick look Shadepaw gave Stonepaw with interest.

"How did you know?" Shadepaw asked in a low voice that only Stonepaw and Fernpaw could hear.

"You talk in your sleep," Stonepaw replied and Shadepaw shoved him, bounding ahead. Stonepaw laughed and quickened his pace.

Fernpaw slowed down, a smile on her face.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Please review, and also tell me who's POV you would like in the next chapter. I was thinking of doing Shadepaw or Stonepaw again but I wanted to know what you guys think? And how do you like Fernpaw's character?


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